Gameweek 23: The Headlines

Another week, another controversy.

I'm not referring to the White House, but the pitch, where referee Michael Oliver took center stage in the Arsenal-Wolves match. And the latest red card debacle was only the tip of the iceberg, y'all!

Speaking of, Ange Postecoglou is on thinner ice than my work colleague who once hooked up with the finance manager after a holiday party circa 2018. Nottingham Forest just got spanked by a Bournemouth side who are absolutely on fire. And spare a thought for Everton's Iliman Ndiaye, who scored a penalty against Brighton and celebrated by pretending he was a seagull.

Ready?

Michael Oliver and that red card

We have to start from the top–with the red card heard around all the UK.

Shortly before half time in the Arsenal-Wolves match on Saturday, referee Michael Oliver handed Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly a red card for what everyone thought to be a routine yellow. The red card was then upheld by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Arsenal won the game with 10 men, but English media fumed about what was universally perceived to be a head-scratching call by Michael.

The situation was further exacerbated by the fact Arsenal have received four red cards this season, three of them controversial. Furthermore, other players and clubs aren't being held to the same harsh standard.

It's all bled into the belief that Arsenal have been victimized and that there's some sort of high-level conspiracy against them. My IG feed is full of posts like the below.

Do I think there's a conspiracy? No.

Do I think Arsenal (in particular) have been a victim of refereeing incompetence? For sure. Premier League refs are people just like us. They're flawed. Sometimes, they make bad decisions.

With the arrival of VAR, the PGMOL has acted like perfect officiating is obtainable. Well, it's not! Controversial refereeing decisions are embedded in sports culture, and have been since forever. The PGMOL needs to stop rationalizing VAR decisions and acting like there's consistency across the league, because a perfectly unbiased, fair, and consistent system just isn't a reality. To tell people otherwise messes with their heads.

Sadly, Internet trolls are doing what Internet trolls do best. In the wake of the abuse, the PGMOL issued a formal statement.

As of Wednesday, Arsenal appealed Myles' red card and were successful, meaning Myles will not have to serve a 3-match suspension.

Over to you, Mr. David Coote

I guess it's just been a rough time for EPL referees in general?

While Michael Oliver has been over here suffering, David Coote went all, "LOL hold my beer, Michael."

David– who was fired in December after video footage emerged showing him calling Jurgen Klopp "a German c**t"–announced to the world that he is a gay man. According to David, suppressing his sexuality in a hyper-masculine environment contributed to the problematic behavior that lost him his job.

And while he'd previously come out to his friends and family, David didn't feel it was safe to do so at his job.

He said,

“But I’m not telling an authentic story if I don’t say that I’m gay, and that I’ve had real struggles dealing with hiding that. I hid my emotions as a young ref and I hid my sexuality as well ... And that’s led me to a whole course of behaviors.”

Notably, homosexuality still feels taboo in football, even as our society has made (some) forward strides. As of May 2022, there was only one documented gay footballer in all of England's top four divisions, which feels ... statistically improbable.

Abdukodir Khusanov's rough start to Man City

Moving away from refs, but continuing with the trend of spotlighting beleaguered people, may I present Abdukodir Khusanov!

OK, now say it three times fast.

The 20-year-old Uzbekistani defender joined City this transfer window and made his debut on Saturday.

His performance was reminiscent of one of my earliest working days as an intern, when I accidentally spilled tea all over my company laptop and burst into tears after said laptop then refused to turn on.

Mere minutes into his debut against Chelsea, poor Abdukodir tried to play a pass back to goalkeeper Ederson, only for Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson to seize it and score. Next up? Abdukodir passed the ball directly to Chelsea's Cole Palmer, and Abdukodir was forced into a desperate foul to prevent him scoring.

By the time City manager Pep Guardiola subbed him off after halftime, Abdukodir looked like he was one well-meaning comment away from bursting into tears.

Everybody at Sky Sports was sympathetic. Jamie Redknapp compared the situation to "getting your head in a tumble dryer," and Gary Neville added, "I felt like crying for the lad."

I guess it was a good thing that Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez's antics in the second half overshadowed Abdukodir's poor performance.

Timer's ticking on Ange Postecoglou

On Sunday, Tottenham lost 1-2 to Leicester, who, need I remind you, were previously in the relegation zone.

Tottenham Hotspur have only won once in their last 11 games, and that was against Southampton (the worst team in the league), so it barely counts. To put it another way, the three promoted teams (Leicester, Ipswich, and Southampton) have collectively won eight games in the Premier League, and two of those games were at Tottenham.

Tottenham are on track for the worst league finish in their history.

I keep waiting to hear that Ange has been fired.

But I guess Spurs's saving grace is their form in the Cup competitions. If they get knocked out of the Carabao Cup, then perhaps we will all be bidding adieu to our favorite Aussie.

Nottingham Forest loses 5-0

Forest's 0-5 loss to Bournemouth was hugely surprising, given Forest have been magnificent this season. For context, the goals they conceded in this one match accounted for 18.5% of all goals conceded this season.

Let's give credit where credit is due and salute a Bournemouth side who just can't seem to stop winning.

Special kudos goes to Dango Ouattara, who became the first person from Burkina Faso to score a hat trick in the Premier League.

I am eager to see how Forest will react against Brighton this weekend.

General consensus around the league is that this performance was an anomaly, and it was bound to happen sooner or later. Still, as their manager Nuno Espirito Santo admitted, this thrashing should act as a "warning."

Iliman Ndiaye, is that you?

Let's end on the South Coast.

Away at Brighton, Everton's Iliman Ndiaye scored the winner and celebrated by flapping his arms like a seagull.

Hilarious. Because Brighton are the Seagulls, get it?

I'd rank this celebration up there with recent greats, including Jamie Vardy scoring at Tottenham and then reminding fans he has one Premier League title under his belt, and they have zero.

All this to say: F*** the haters. Bust out that seagull. Do that bird dance. Troll your friends (with love, of course).

You do you.

See you next week!